The rise in United States wage inequality over the past two
decades is commonly associated with an increase in the use of
"skill-biased" technologies (e.g., computer equipment) in the
workplace, yet relatively few studies have attempted to measure the
direct link between the two. This paper explores the relationship
among inequality, worker education levels, and workplace computer
usage using a sample of 230 United States industries between 1983 and
2002. The results generate two prima... (more info)

The rise in United States wage inequality over the past two
decades is commonly associated with an increase in the use of
"skill-biased" technologies (e.g., computer equipment) in the
workplace, yet relatively few studies have attempted to measure the
direct link between the two. This paper explores the relationship
among inequality, worker education levels, and workplace computer
usage using a sample of 230 United States industries between 1983 and
2002. The results generate two primary conclusions: First, this rising
inequality in the United States has been caused predominantly by
increasing wage dispersion within industries rather than between
industries. Second, within-industry inequality is strongly tied to
both the frequency of computer usage among workers and the fraction of
total employment with a college degree. Both results lend support to
the idea that skill-biased technological change has been an important
element in the rise of United States wage inequality.

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Scope of Study

The file submitted is 0505cwpd.zip which contains
program and data files, with a README.txt file with a full description.

These data are part of ICPSR's Publication-Related Archive and are
distributed exactly as they arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has
not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the
investigators if further information is desired.